[Kim Jong-un sent] his only sister, Kim Yo-jong, whom news outlets in the South instantly called “North Korea’s Ivanka,” likening her influence to that of Ivanka Trump on her father, President Trump....

Flashing a sphinx-like smile and without ever speaking in public, Ms. Kim managed to outflank Mr. Trump’s envoy to the Olympics, Vice President Mike Pence, in the game of diplomatic image-making....

Ms. Kim, who is believed to be 30, was a natural choice for the trip to South Korea. Her clout, because of her shared bloodline, is unmistakable....

Commentators analyzed her no-nonsense hairstyle and dress, her low-key makeup and the sprinkle of freckles on her cheeks...

ADDED: In case you, like me, are lost in contemplation about what is a "sphinx-like smile," Here's "Oedipus and the Sphinx," by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres:

Ingres painted that, we're told, "to show his mastery of the male nude," but the Academy in Paris deemed the figure insufficiently idealized.

ALSO: How do we even know that is Kim Jong-Un's sister? That could just be an actress.

I give our proggy-D leftwing press and all the coordinators who aid the leftwing press tons of credit. Some bureaucratic decision-maker inside the Olympic committee sat Pence and NoKo together for the exact reason being played out by the D-press.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Foreign Minister has not allowed himself to be bamboozled by a pretty face.

From the Telegraph:"Speaking in Brunei one day after meeting Mr Moon and Ms Kim, he told Kyodo news agency: “Without being swayed by [North Korea's] smile diplomacy, Japan will firmly coordinate with [the US and South Korea] towards the ultimate goal of denuclearising the Korean Peninsula.”

He added that North Korea had conducted a military parade “on the eve of the opening of its Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as if to show off its missiles. Its intention regarding nuclear and missiles development has not changed”.

His remarks appear to reflect Japan’s increasing discomfort over Seoul’s conciliatory stance with Pyongyang, amid fears it could destabilise trilateral co-operation with the US to increase pressure on the regime."

@ Matthew "That a bunch of the journalists have a crush on her? What did she do that makes her so appealing to be more so than the VP? Like, what do we know about her?

According to the left, we do not need to know anything about her! That's the point. She's glamourus, because said so. Actual authentic intellectual curiosity? Nah - there's a narrative to build. The job of the modern D-Journo is to create the big Potemkin village of Gotcha.

"Ms. Kim, who is believed to be 30, was a natural choice for the trip to South Korea."

-- A non-public speaker without enough public persona that the press even knows how old she is was a "natural choice" to engage in public diplomacy? I mean, I guess she was, since journalists are swooning about her freckles and smile, but... uh, maybe they should try and be journalists and schoolboys with crushes.

I have been waiting for one of the NBC commentators to just say something honest like, "Look, all of us really expected her to be fat, ugly & suffering from gout, like KJ, but she's much better looking. OTOH, we expected Mike Pence to look like the rich evil villain on those soap operas we used to watch, and he still does! So, in comparison, she's really much more charming."

The Democrats, main stream media, academics, our Ivy League elite, Leftists all, hate Donald Trump more than they hate the evil, murderous North Korean dictator. So this reaction this has little to do with misogyny.

In many respects Progressives like North Korea much more than the United States.

For the NYT and the rest of the MFM, it's all about Trump and "the enemy of my enemy is my BFF". So naturally North Korea and Iran are their BFFs.

Plus of course the NYT and other MFM outfits have a long history of sucking Commie cock. So there's a comforting nostalgia factor too.

At the end of the day, they'll do and write ANYTHING if they think it somehow makes Trump look bad or even just takes the spotlight off him. Of course, they have no clue how badly they are be-clowning themselves in the process.

The media has Trump googles. They are so drunk with animus, they can't see straight. That's how you wake up in bed with a totalitarian. It's what happened to the Germans, Russians, Chinese, Cubans, Venezuelans, etc.

With all those countries there to fawn over and hit on, they pick the ugliest one in the place becuase she smiled at them. Go home and sleep it off.

The media siding with North Korea in order to stick it to Trump has been truly frightening. What if NK really did nuke Guam or something? I suspect the media would rationalize NK's actions and blame Trump.

Trump seems to have a sixth sense for saying controversial things that are eventually proven true: The media truly would be the enemies of the People in that case.

I know this post was more about how Slay Gulag Queen outmaneuvered Pence by giving "side eye" (an American "anthropomorphizing" (Americanomorphizing?) a gesture that a North Korean wouldn't understand anyway, so I will say that I don't even consider Kim Jong Un's sister to be beautiful or glamorous in any sense. Her skin is wan, her teeth too short, her hair lanky.

"Oedipus and the Sphinx" is an intriguing picture. Firstly, there's that cloak, or whatever it is. It's evidently pretty big. Why doesn't Oedipus just wear it? Trying to keep it over his shoulder must be at least inconvenient. Then there are those two javelins, why bother riddling with the sphinx? Why not just stab her and get it over with? Maybe they are just too blunt to pierce her hide, which brings up the question of the care and maintenance of weapons, a class the young Prince of Thebes evidently cut too often. Next, there's that mysterious thing on his right. Is it a shield? If it is he's wearing it on the wrong side. Greek infantrymen were trained to carry the hoplon on the left. Men who were naturally left-handed had to adapt to the use of the spear in the "weak" hand because the integrity of the phalanx demanded shields on the left and spears on the right. Lastly, there's that lone left foot in the lower foreground. Where's the other one?

Perhaps all those ambiguous distracting details are why Inges didn't get the approval of the Academicians. Or maybe they just wanted to see his wee-wee and were disappointed.

She is accomplishing something significant. A great propaganda coup for North Korea. Instead of focusing on the vicious brutality of the rulers and the horrible poverty, we get this ridiculous reaction.

The Norkos have planned and executed this coup with great skill. All they needed was our lame brained help, which seems to be nearly a given. Even Trump is maintaining silence on this.

I wonder if there is anyone at the NY Times who remembers Jiang Qing ?

She was more murderous than Mao.

Before Mao's death, the Gang of Four controlled many of China's political institutions, including the media and propaganda. However, Jiang Qing, deriving most of her political legitimacy from Mao, often found herself at odds with other top leaders. Mao's death in 1976 dealt a significant blow to Jiang Qing's political fortunes. She was arrested in October 1976 by Hua Guofeng and his allies, and was subsequently condemned by party authorities.

Misogyny is literally the hatred of women, but what is hatred? It's not a word you understand by looking it up in the dictionary. It's a complex topic, and to use it the way I did is to imply an argument about the nature of hatred. It's not an argument about words. It about the manifestations of hate and the scope of hate. I understand the urge to keep hatred narrowly defined, but that urge is not based on knowledge of the meaning of words.

I'd better for everyone if we banned crutch words like "misogyny" "racism" "Sexism" because I they mean nothing and everything and just enable stupid people to sound intelligent without saying exactly what they mean.

ALSO: How do we even know that is Kim Jong-Un's sister? That could just be an actress.

High likelihood they would have chosen someone prettier if it were an actress. I mean, South Koreans are the target of this offensive as much as anyone else, and South Koreans care a lot about superficial appearances.

Boy have we defined hatred down when projecting glamour onto a visiting mute is called “misogyny” with no irony. It’s poor journalism and bad taste, fueled by true hatred for Trump. I don’t see any smidgeon of “hate” in progressive journalists swooning over her. Like “racism” “misogyny” is used conversationally more than it is actually demonstrated in actions.

Also, I think the celebration of North Korea's chief of Volksaufklärung und Propaganda is only partly in a misogynistic (or condescending) vein specific to her sex. She's essentially serving the same function as a British royal, where her being there in a particular place for a particular function conveys the symbolic message.

That and the reporters there are probably kind of relieved to see that North Korea has sent someone of her stature, since she's a hostage against North Korean good conduct as long as she's around.

I dispute that it is misogyny. While I agree that judging a woman solely on her looks is misogyny, she is being judged here by her politics or, more specifically, the politics of journalists who project good things on anyone who is opposed to Trump. It is just as biased, bigoted, and small-minded, but it is not gender based.

Remember all that Hoo-Hah about journalists as enemies of the American people? Anyone who is pushing this line is an enemy of humanity in general. Take names. Act accordingly.

I will say that comparing her to the sphinx seems apt. The Greek sphinx was a monster that strangled and ate travelers. She might be an improvement on the current North Korean government.

Misogyny is literally the hatred of women, but what is hatred? It's not a word you understand by looking it up in the dictionary. It's a complex topic, and to use it the way I did is to imply an argument about the nature of hatred. It's not an argument about words. It about the manifestations of hate and the scope of hate. I understand the urge to keep hatred narrowly defined, but that urge is not based on knowledge of the meaning of words.

Now who can argue with that? I think we're all indebted to Gabby Althouse for clearly stating what needed to be said. I'm particulary glad that these lovely children were here today to hear that speech. Not only was it authentic academic gibberish, it expressed a courage little seen in this day and age.

What in heaven's name is the NYT thinking? This is just babbling by MSM creeps who hate Trump, Pence, and most of the GOP. I note that such slights of Pence by NYT and CNN demonstrate that the tune would be no different of any other Republican were in the White House.

What can one say about nitwits who praise a terrorist state that starves, imprisons, and tortures its own people? Willie Geist (of all people) got it right with this tweet:

"I can report South Koreans here in Pyeongchang are not as enthralled with Kim Yo Jong and the North Korean cheerleaders as it seems some media are back home.Something about N.K. killing, starving, & imprisoning its people while threatening South Korea with nuclear annihilation."

I wish there were a way to tag J Farmer to make sure he sees this post.

He was just challenging me to find press praising the regime. I'd like to see his comments on this.

I just read the article, and I think it would require an immense leap to read it as "praising the regime." It's actually pretty standard reporting that manages to capture both sides of the issue. For example:

At a protest on Sunday in central Seoul, where a few hundred anti-North Korea demonstrators waving South Korean and American flags gathered and shouted slogans denouncing Kim Jong-un, Yang Sun-woo, 55, said, “I’m afraid a lot of Koreans have been fooled by Kim Yo-jong’s visit.”

“It’s very unfortunate that the Pyeongchang Olympics are becoming the Pyongyang Olympics when South and North Korea are still at odds with each other over ideologies,” added Mr. Yang, who carried a foam head depicting a bloodied face of the North Korean leader.

...

Others said they were horrified by the notion that Ms. Kim could lull South Koreans, or anyone else, into forgetting the North’s repression and human rights abuses.

“That’s the face of the Kim family, which wouldn’t even flinch when tens of thousands of people died for it,” one Twitter user wrote. “I see the arrogance and ruthlessness that one cannot find in people who grew up in a free society.”

A group of university students who had come to cheer on the Korean women’s hockey team Saturday night (the Koreans lost to Switzerland, 8-0), said that they were excited about the historic moment and having the chance to see women from the two countries play together.

But they drew a sharp line between the athletes and citizens of North Korea, on one hand, and the dignitaries sitting in the stands representing Kim Jong-un’s regime on the other.

“I think Kim Jong-un is really a bad person and a villain,” said Park Keon-ho, 24, a computer science student at Korea University of Technology and Education. “But I love North Koreans. I think North Koreans and South Koreans were all together as one family, and we come from the same root.”

Plus, the authors of the article are Motoko Rich, a Japanese woman and the NYT Tokyo bureau chief, and Choe Sang-hun, a Korean journalist. The notion that either of these two have a desire to "praise the regime" is ridiculous given even a fleeting familiarity with their work.

J Farmer -[Kim Jong-un sent] his only sister, Kim Yo-jong, whom news outlets in the South instantly called “North Korea’s Ivanka,” likening her influence to that of Ivanka Trump on her father, President Trump....

Flashing a sphinx-like smile and without ever speaking in public, Ms. Kim managed to outflank Mr. Trump’s envoy to the Olympics, Vice President Mike Pence, in the game of diplomatic image-making....

I wish there were a way to tag J Farmer to make sure he sees this post.

He was just challenging me to find press praising the regime. I'd like to see his comments on this.

I just read the article, and I think it would require an immense leap to read it as "praising the regime." It's actually pretty standard reporting that manages to capture both sides of the issue. For example:

The article was good.

The editor that made the headline who works for the NYTs proves her point and completely destroys your point.

The fundamental problem with that Nooyawk Times article is the plain fact that Kim Yo-jong (or whoever she is) didn't steal VP Pence's spotlight. The spotlight is firmly in the grasp of the purveyors of anti-Trump propaganda. They choose to focus on Lil' Kim's sister and to snub Mike Pence. This crap is no more legitimate than Leni Riefenstahl's National Socialist interpretation of the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Now who can argue with that? I think we're all indebted to Gabby Althouse for clearly stating what needed to be said. I'm particulary glad that these lovely children were here today to hear that speech. Not only was it authentic academic gibberish, it expressed a courage little seen in this day and age.

Ms. Kim, who is believed to be 30, was a natural choice for the trip to South Korea. Her clout, because of her shared bloodline, is unmistakable....

In North Korea a shared bloodline isn't something you want to lean on very hard....

Did Kim Jong Un really feed his uncle alive to 120 starved dogs?

In North Korea's version of the story, nope. "He was shot to death," the country's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hyun Hak Bong, tells Sky News in what may be the first English-language interview with a top Pyongyang official, Fox News notes.

The editor that made the headline who works for the NYTs proves her point and completely destroys your point.

The headline is pretty accurate...and what it describes should be totally obvious to anyone remotely familiar with the situation. Of course she is going to draw more attention than Pence given where the games are hosted and the historical nature of the visit, being the first member of the Kim dynasty to vist the South and the invitation to Moon to attend a summit in the North. She was in the country for 3 days, and the South Korean press covered her trip extensively. And it was considered controversial in the South that Pence did not meet with the delegation, and many commenters felt it was a wasted opportunity. Agree with it or not it takes major histrionics to view this piece as praising the North Korean regime.

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that's all.”

Incorrect reporting? I said no such thing! I would never question the actions or the motives of those who inform of us what we need to know, especially when praised by you.

Look at all of those millions of people who disagree with you about, well almost everything, because they remain mired in their ignorance. One day, God grant, your writings will be taught at every institution in our land, and the people of the world will finally live in peace and freedom.

I would never question the actions or the motives of those who inform of us what we need to know, especially when praised by you.

Your childish sarcasm aside, you should always read any individual piece critically. What you should not do is start with a foregone conclusion and work backwards form there.

Look at all of those millions of people who disagree with you about, well almost everything,

Oddly enough I never chose what to believe based on what is popular. If you require being in the majority to have confidence in your opinions, I feel badly for you. There are millions of people who disagree with the pro-life side and there are millions who disagree with the pro-abortion side. What does that have to do with the position?

J Farmer would have you believe that the media is a helpless pawn at who is given attention.

This is not the case as was seen in even as basic a circumstance as the Orlando or Santa Barbara shootings, where Muslim shooters hated Gays and Liberals, but Republicans were blamed.

Mr. Farmer, you can choose to believe what you'd like, but don't abuse our intelligence by pretending the rather clear inferences we make are without any merit.

You can do that, but not credibly. Sort of like defending the honesty of Hillary: the mounted evidence of media bias is already too well established and your apologetics for the same just besmirch yourself.

You can do that, but not credibly. Sort of like defending the honesty of Hillary: the mounted evidence of media bias is already too well established and your apologetics for the same just besmirch yourself.

I have never defended "the media." The entire notion of that is nonsensical. What I am prepared to do, however, is defend or critique any individual piece. And seeing as I am familiar with both of the articles' author's work, I am quite confident that neither are interested in praising North Korea. If someone has some evidence to the otherwise, present it, and I will give a response. The point of the article was to describe the reaction to Kim Yo-Song, both positive and negative, in South Korea, and the portrayal was accurate. And if you doubt that, just read the English-language Korean press, such as the Korea Times, the Korea Herald, the Korea JoongAng Daily, or the English-language version of The Chosun Ilbo.

Willie Geist, for one, doesn’t seem to think the reports we got in the US accurately described the reaction in SoKo to Kim Yo-jong’s visit.

Willie Geist's "reporting" consisted of a single tweet: "I can report South Koreans here in Pyeongchang are not as enthralled with Kim Yo Jong and the North Korean cheerleaders as it seems some media are back home. Something about N.K. killing, starving, & imprisoning its people while threatening South Korea with nuclear annihilation."

So Geist's amorphous "South Koreans here" have negative attitudes towards the reception of the delegation. This is not news. The linked article makes that same point. Nonetheless, there has been overwhelming coverage of it in South Korea. There is a complex relationship between the South and the North, and while this is an obviously symbolic, propagandistic overture, it can still potentially lay the ground for further engagement and deescalation of tensions. That would be a welcome outcome.

Unless they were describing the reaction of most American journalists in SoKo, I guess.

Thank you for that first link, which I believe generally supports Geist's "not as enthralled" comment, though it does suggest that SoKo media types may be nearly as enthralled as their American colleagues.